Congregational mosque

• For decades, Saudi kings provided support to religious scholars and institutions that advocated an austere form of Sunni Islam known as Wahhabism.
• The kingdom enforced strict codes of morality, placing restrictions on the rights of women and religious minorities, among others.
• As a scholar who studies interpretations of Islamic law to justify or contest militancy, I’ve followed these reforms closely.
• In an interview broadcast widely throughout the kingdom, MBS chastised Wahhabi scholars, accusing some of falsifying Islamic doctrines.

Negotiating Wahhabism

• The booming Saudi oil economy developed by Abdulaziz required his son, King Faisal, who ruled from 1964 to 1975, to reconsider the monarchy’s relationship with Wahhabism.
• Abroad, Faisal’s scholars presented Wahhabism as an authentic Islamic alternative to the Cold War ideologies of the U.S. and USSR.
• Wealthy Saudis, these Wahhabi scholars argued, had a religious duty to promote Wahhabism across the globe.

Resisting Wahhabism

• King Khalid, who followed Faisal, continued to favor Wahhabi scholars, particularly while responding to two major challenges in 1979.
• Afterward, Khalid agreed to elevate religious officials who affirmed the Islamic credentials of the monarchy.
• One such Saudi who answered the call that year was Osama bin Laden, who would establish al-Qaida in 1988.
• He has worked quickly to erase those accommodations and, like his grandfather, affirm the supremacy of the monarchy.

A ‘moderate Wahhabism’ for Saudi society?

• Saudi Arabia has announced it will no longer fund mosques and Wahhabi educational institutions in other countries.
• Saudi religious police, once tasked with upholding public morality, saw their powers curtailed.
• In 2018, Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist, was killed following his calls for a continued voice for Islamist reformers in Saudi Arabia.
• Al-Rasheed argues that the images of a new Saudi society conceal suppression of Saudi reformers.

• MECCA, Saudi Arabia, June 23, 2023 The people of Saudi Arabia believe that hospitality is one of the main deep-rooted values in their culture which was passed on by many generations over hundreds of years, a fact that is not left unnoticed by millions of pilgrims who come to the Kingdom every year to perform Hajj rituals.
• The welcoming culture of Saudi Arabia reflects a unique value on every aspect of Hajj, as pilgrims coming from about 193 countries are dubbed "the guests of Allah" whose presence on Saudi lands is cherished by the authorities who launched a specific service program, in line with the Saudi 2030 Vision, to provide an opportunity for more Muslims to perform both Hajj and Umrah to the best of their abilities.
• A few months ago, the Saudi Ministry of Culture celebrated its 2022 Year of Saudi Coffee initiative, which features the famous drink as the official hospitality beverage according to customs and traditions, and comes as an important element of Saudi Arabia's rich culture for offering deep connotations of generosity, hospitality, and cultural diversity.
• Furthermore, the Kingdom's Tourism Authority announced that Saudi Arabia had received 62 million tourist visits in 2022, with 29.5 million visits coming from abroad, which only indicates how tourists enjoy a good experience when interacting with the hospitable Saudi society.

• While success in organizing the annual Hajj is not uncommon for Saudi Arabia, yet millions of pilgrims still require high quality means of transportation with exceptional fluidity at the holy sites, which are expected to be the most crowded cities in the world, relative to area and time.
• However, compared to the far more challenging numbers the Kingdom must deal with, the mission at the holy sites remains significantly harder for the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah who takes up the task of coordinating between authorities, receiving pilgrims, and creating solutions for their transportation.
• Said challenge goes beyond just providing transportation options between the holy sites, where the movement of 2.5 million devotees is largely linked to a strict schedule set to match the Hajj rituals.
• The Kingdom has in recent years strengthened its transportation services, including the launch of the Holy Sites Train, which completed 2,170 trips in 2019, according to Saudi media.

• Grand mosques mark the urban space of major historical cities such as Mecca, Medina, Cordoba and Tunis.
• The notion of a “grand mosque” has been shaped by the location of the mosque, its scale and its historical importance.
• But what makes a grand mosque “grand”?

Building the grand mosques

• This charitable act was an important legacy, and mosques were also a reflection of the powers of dynasties.
• But mosques also provided civic, educational and cultural spaces to provide for extensive community involvement.
• The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi is a centre of science and knowledge which can accommodate 40,000 worshippers.
• Through a combination of scale and architectural design, these grand mosques make their mark in the urban landscape.

An Australian grand mosque

• The first mosque in Australia was completed in 1882 in Maree, 600 kilometres north of Adelaide.
• Now, Australia has its own grand mosque.
• Melbourne’s Grand Mosque opened its doors last year.
• The community wanted to make a grand architectural statement which would meet the spiritual and social needs of Australia’s Muslim community.

A mosque for the community

• The grand mosque of today is about community: their involvement in the design processes and its openness as a hub for diverse communities of the 21st century.
• Today, the realisation of a grand mosque such as the one in Melbourne transforms the idea of “grand” to a level of social interaction and community aspirations.